Environmental Report 2016

Compliance with Environmental Regulations

Environmental issues are advancing on a global scale, and regulations concerning the environment are expanding each year, both in Japan and overseas. Society is viewing regulatory violations increasingly harshly year by year, and there is a strong demand for companies to conduct their business in good faith. In short, their business conduct must be fair, ethical, and in compliance with the law.

Regulatory compliance has long been a top priority for the JAE Group. It continually researches environmental regulations and works to prevent risks such as exceeding or overlooking obligations stipulated in regulatory standards. Moreover, in order to minimize damage that may occur in the event of an environment-related accident, the JAE Group predetermines response procedures and conducts regular training to confirm their effectiveness.


●Compliance with Environmental Regulations
The JAE Group has some 70 environmentally related regulations on record for which compliance status must be constantly ascertained. The Group periodically checks public bulletins from local and national government documents for revisions to the regulations it has on record. And, it periodically conducts a study on the compliance status for mandatory notifications and reports.


●Complying with Stricter Voluntary Standards for Air and Water Quality
Air Pollution Control
Water Pollution
Sewerage Law
Municipal ordinances
The JAE Group has set its own voluntary standards for air and water quality. Its target values are about 20% below the maximum values allowed by the Japanese laws and regulations listed above.
The JAE Group employs an automatic continuous measurement system to monitor wastewater for the highly toxic chemicals cyanide and hexavalent chromium. (JAE Akishima Plant)

●Compliance Record for Fiscal 2015
In fiscal 2015, the JAE Group received no compliance-related notices or orders from government authorities for exceeding regulatory values in areas such as gas emissions, water discharge, noise and vibration.However, the Akishima Plant observed minor but perceptible excesses of BOD/SS values (standard value of less than 300 mg/L), n-hexane extracted substance content (standard value of less than 30mg/L) and pH values (standard minimum value of 5.7; maximum value of less than 8.7). The cause was thought to be human sewage within the plant. The Akishima Plant has informed the local wastewater authority of Akishima-shi of the situation and is now pursuing corrective measures.


●Adherence to the Fluorocarbons Act
Under the revised Fluorocarbons Act which went into force in April 2015, controllers of relevant equipment are newly tasked with the following obligations.
  • Regular inspections of relevant equipment (inspections by qualified personnel)
  • Simple inspections every quarter (qualification not required)
  • Maintain inspection records
  • Maintain inspection records
  • Calculate amount of leakage, and in the event the total amount exceeds a specified figure, report to the competent authorities

Having established a control process, the JAE Group is fulfilling its legal obligations and keeping pace with the implementation of the Act.
(Please see the "Reducing Environmental Risks" section for details.)